Envelope fastener



. A. mu. ENVELOPE FASTENER APPLYING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED OCT- I4, 1919- RENEWED FE B- 2, I922- Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

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ENVELOPE FASTENEB APPLYING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 001.14, 1915. RENEWED FEB. 2,1922.

1,428,49 PatenhedSept.5,1922.

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woe/WM Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANTHONY TELLI, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ENVELOPE-FASTENER-APPLYING DEVICE.

Application filed October 14, 1919, Serial No. 330,538. Renewed February 2, 1922. Serial No. 533.672.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTHONY TELLI, a

citizen of the United States, residing .at

fication.

This invention relates. to means, for ap plying fasteners to envelopes or analogous articles, and the fasteners adapted to be applied by the device disclosed by this invention are of the type that prevent the opening or unsealing of the envelope without tearing, breaking or otherwise mutilating the envelope so as to prevent the unsealin or openin of the envelope and the resea ing thereo without leaving a sign or indication whereb it may be readily determined that the sai envelope has been opened.

Other objects of the invention will appear in the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in. which drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of a com bined hammer and anvil used in applying an envelope fastener.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the combined anvil and hammer showing it in operative relation or position'for applying a seal or fastener to an envelope. I

Figure 3 is a detail section through an envelope illustrating the relative position of the anvil and the fastener, prior to the clinching of the prongs of the latter.

Figure 4 is a section through the en velope flaps illustrating the fastener in a fastening or looking position, showing the ends of the prongs clinched.

Figure-5 is a detail view partly in sec;

tion of the hammer applying device.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the fasteners illustrating its manner of attachment to an envelope of slight difference than that illustrated in Figure 2, illustrating the use of an anvil with the fastener when the improved applying tool cannot be employed in connection with the fastener owing to the manner of construction of the envelope.

Figure 7 is a detail section through an envelope of the type illustrated in Figure portion of r the fastener a manner to avoid detection.

6 and illustrating the modified form of anvil in operative position thereto, and

Figure 8 is a perspective viewv of the modified form of anvil.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the envelope fastener comprises a metal disc 10 which has a plurality of sharpened prongs'll formed thereon at spaced distances "about its periphery, the said prongsllextending transversely to the disc '10 and being adapted for insertion through flaps of an envelope A as clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. It will be noted that in applying-the fastener, the fastener is. positioned so that the prongs 11 thereof will extend through the overlapping ortion of the flap of which the back of the envelopeis formed, thereby connecting each and every one of the flaps so as to prevent the steaming free of any one of them and the consequent opening of the envelope, in As shown 1n Figure 2 of the drawings, any sultable letter, monogram, or otherdistinctive means may be easily imprinted, embossed or otherwise formed upon the disc 10 if de sired. v

In applying the fastener structure to an envelope of the type A, wherein the upper edges of the end flap B thereof are relatively low or are spaced a relatively great distance from the upper edge of the envelope, as is ordinary in the construction of envelopes, the attaching structure 12 is employ'ed. This attaching device 12is preferably formed of spring sheet metal having an anvil 13 formed on one end thereof, and being bent intermediate its ends to provide the normally spreading resilient handle portions 14- and 15, the former of which is provided with a hump orupstruck portion 16 therein,.near the junction of the sections 14 and 15, which relieves the resilient connecting portion 17' of the handle structure from absorbing all of the pressure incident to the pushing of the hammer head 17 of the device toward the anvil 13 and further serves as a handle for facilitating the removal of the anvil from within an envelope after the fastener has been properly attached thereto. The length 14 of the handle structure 13 is provided with a cup 18 at its free end, which receives the lower edge of the knob 19 therein, for forming the hammer head 17. The surface of the anvil 13 faces the hammer head 17 and is concaved as shown at 19. In applying one of the fasteners to the envelope A, the gummed portion of the sealing fla C of the envelope is moistened after which the anvil 13 is placed beneath the innermost of the flaps of the envelope directly beneath the portions where the end flap C and the bottom flap overlap, and where the point or lowermost portion of the sealing flap overlaps the overlapping portion of o the other flaps, the sealing flap C is then closed and sealed from one end thereof to the center, leaving the other side of the sealing flap free. The fastener 10 is then placed directly over the anvil, and pressed, preferably by the thumb, to force the sharpened prongs 11 through the flaps of the envelope, after which the outer eonvexed ends of the knob 19 is struck, with the hand of the user, guiding it into engagement with the disc 10 of the fastener and consequently driving the fastener toward the anvil 13, causing the inner points of the prongs 11 to ride over the concaved surface of the anvil 13 and be turned inwardly from the center of the disc, as shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, thereby securely connecting the overlappingportions of all of the flaps of the envelopes, and fastening the envelope in such manner that it cannot be opened or unsealed, without mutilating the envelope in such manner that the detection of such openings may be readily made. After the prongs 11 have been bent over or clipped as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings, the anvil 13 is removed from within .the envelope, and the remaining portion of the sealing flap C is sealed to the back structure of the envelope, and the latter is ready to be sent through the mails, by messenger, or otherwise as desired.

The end flaps of some envelopes are cut so high as to prevent the use of the applying device illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 for attaching the fasteners to the envelope, such an envelope being illustrated in Figure 6 of the drawings, and to permit the proper attachment of the fasteners, the envelopes of this type, the modified forms of anvil illustrated in Figures 6 to 8 is provided. This form of anvil 20 comprises a metal disc, having a concaved face 21, which when the anvil 20 is placed within the envelope,

beneath the overlapping portions of the flap thereof, is placed outwardly or facing the flap as shown in Figure 7 of the drawings, so as to provide the convex surface which inclines toward the center of the disc for guiding the inner fastened ends of the prongs 11 inwardly, when they are clinched. hen using this modified form of anvil; it is placed within the envelope B beneath the overlapping corners of the various end and bottom flaps thereof, and one of the improved fasteners is placed against the outer surface of the sealing flap of the envelope B directly outwardly of the anvil 20, after the sealing flap has been sealed, however, and the fastener is then driven or forced inwardly so as to bring the inner fastened ends of the prongs 11, against the anvil 20, by a sharp blow upon the fastener causing the clinching of the ends of the prongs, and securely connecting the various flaps. WVhen' the envelope is moved, the anvil 20 will fall downwardly in the envelope and out of its operative position with respect to the fastener. From the foregoing description together with the accompanying drawings, it is apparent that the fasteners, or no part thereof is permanently carried by the envelope, thereby permitting the fastener to be used with any type of envelopes, now in existence or use, and also permitting the envelopes to be run through a typewriter, printing press or analogous machine in contra-distinction to that type of fastener in which a part or all of it is carried by the envelopestructure.

Changes in details be made without departing from the spirit of this invention, but;

I claim:

A device for applying fasteners for afiixing envelope flaps and sheets formed of a single piece of metal bent back upon itself to form a pair of superposed shanks and an integral connecting resilient bight portion, the shanks being curved arcuately, an enlarged flattened head formed on one of the shanks to form an anvil, an enlarged flattened flange head formed on the outer end of the other shank, a weighted hammer head fitted in said flanged head, and an integral resilient outstruck shock absorbing bight portion formed in the shank that carries the hammer head.

ANTHONY TELLI. 

